Welcome to a supplemental edition of the Greater Lafayette Indivisible (“GLI”) newsletter. Here are all of the things that have popped up since the main edition of our newsletter a few weeks ago.
As a reminder, we’re imagining that activism is like a waterway that builds in intensity. In addition to calls to action, we’ll also provide information about upcoming events and opportunities to foster community, good news, and places in which we’re finding inspiration.
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Ripples (small direct actions)
- Join Pride Lafayette as they partner with the American Red Cross for a blood drive at the Pride Center (640 Main Street, Lafayette) on Friday, May 2, from 10 am – 4 pm. Please sign up for a specific time so they can manage the day smoothly. You can find more information in their Facebook event.
- Learn about common misconceptions about poverty by utilizing the “Myth Busters” videos by Wes Tillett, Executive Director of Lafayette Urban Ministry (“LUM”). Each one-minute video shares a common myth about poverty along with the correct information debunking it. These videos, and others, can be found on LUM’s YouTube channel.
Ripples (direct action through financial donations)
- Lafayette Daybreak Rotary Club is hosting the 18th annual Toast to Mental Health on Thursday, May 1, from 6-8 pm at the Tippecanoe County Fairgrounds (1406 Teal Road, Lafayette). This fundraiser and social gathering event will feature food (catered by the Outpost), live music by Kyle Bledsoe, an online auction (bidding starts on or around April 15), live auction, and a live program with Kelly Russell and Artisan Auctions. Tickets are $40 per person (a table for 8 can be purchased for $320) and can be purchased here.
- The annual Fund-a-Thon for the Hoosier Abortion Fund (HAF) has started! This year, they are celebrating 10 years of abortion funding through HAF, and they have their highest Fund-a-Thon goal yet — $50,000 — which will be matched by the National Network of Abortion Funds, for a total of $100,000 for abortion access. The need for abortion funding in Indiana has never been greater, and together, we can show up for our family, friends, and neighbors across the state who need our support.
Rush (action at the county level)
- Freedom Road Socialist Organization and members of the West Lafayette LGBT+ community are demanding that West Lafayette pass a safe-haven resolution to protect gender-affirming care. They are encouraging attendance at the West Lafayette City Council meeting on Monday, May 5, at 6:30 pm at the West Lafayette City Hall (222 N Chauncey Ave, West Lafayette). You can also sign their petition here, and find contact information for the West Lafayette City Council members and a suggested script for encouraging their support here.
- Voter registration season is right around the corner! We hope to be at a variety of locations at different times of the day throughout the spring, summer, and fall. We’re starting with the monthly “Mosey Down Main Street,” in downtown Lafayette, and you can sign up for one or more shifts on Mobilize for the May 10 and June 14 Moseys. We’ll continue to add more voter registration opportunities as they become available, so keep an eye on our Mobilize profile.
If you’ve never registered voters before and are feeling intimidated, please know that we always have at least 2 people at each location, so you will always have someone experienced with you who will show you how to do it and be available to answer any questions that come up. And for longer events, we’ll give people an opportunity to volunteer for shorter shifts if they can’t stay the entire time.
Rapids (action at the state level)
- This Facebook post lists the 50501 Movement events happening around the state on Saturday, April 19. Please note that due to the gun incident at the local protest on April 5, 50501 has decided not to hold a protest in Lafayette on that day.
- Our “Where’s Baird?” campaign continues! Please call our Representative Jim Baird every day during the April 12-27 congressional recess at his Danville office at (317) 563-5567. Ask him to hold a town hall and stop the cuts to health care, food assistance, school lunches, and Pell grants in order to fund tax cuts to greedy billionaires. Each day, on our Facebook page, we’ll be featuring a specific request with facts about how these cuts impact our district so that our combined requests are focused and efficient. And stay tuned! We’re working on more “Where’s Baird” opportunities, which we plan to announce soon.
Roar (action at the national level)
- If you haven’t yet read the 2024 guide from Indivisible national, you can find it here.
Opportunities to build community
- GLI is hosting a Happy Hour gathering on the patio at BRU Burger (101 Main Street, Suite 100, Lafayette) on Wednesday, April 30, from 6-7 pm. We’ll provide appetizers for the group, and each person is also welcome to order drinks and/or food on their own. This will be an opportunity to chat with each other in a fun and informal setting. We’d love to have an idea of the expected crowd size beforehand, so if you plan to join us, please sign up on Mobilize. We hope to see you there!
Good news
- Pride Lafayette, Inc. is hosting their annual Second Chance Prom on Saturday, April 26, from 7-10 pm at Coyote Crossing Golf Club (5801 Augusta Blvd, West Lafayette). Not everyone had the opportunity to attend prom with the person they wanted or dressed as they wanted or fully as themselves. This event, themed “MY BIG FAT GAY PROM,” gives all ages the chance to come together for a prom night to be their authentic selves and have fun. Tickets can be purchased here, and more information can also be found in their Facebook event.
- The Diversity Roundtable and the Tippecanoe County Public Library are hosting an evening with Jeffrey Robinson at The Long Center (111 N Sixth Street, Lafayette) on Tuesday, May 6 at 7 pm. Mr. Robinson is the critically acclaimed writer of “WHO WE ARE: A Chronicle of Racism in America,” which explores how racism impacts diversity, inclusion, and access in the community. There is no cost to attend, but a free ticket is required. You can find more information here and reserve tickets here.
- The ACLU of Indiana recently filed a class action lawsuit against Gov. Braun in response to an executive order he signed on March 4 (Executive Order 25-36), which prevents people born in Indiana from changing the gender marker on their certificates and is modeled after a similar order signed by President Trump. You can read more about it here.
- Representative Chris Campbell’s bill to allow foster children and emancipated youth at least 16 years old to open bank accounts without an adult co-signer has passed through the legislative process and is headed to the Governor’s desk for his signature! You can read more on Rep. Campbell’s website.
- According to the City of Lafayette’s Facebook page: “Despite the rainy, chilly weather, 230 civic-minded volunteers – the biggest turnout yet – came out on Saturday, April 5 to help Detrash the Wabash! This twice-a-year community clean-up focuses on the parks and trails along the river, and it’s a powerful reminder of how much the Wabash means to our home.”
- If you missed our energetic and inspiring “Where’s Baird” town hall on March 30, you can watch the video and access the presentation slides on our website. During the town hall, we collected more than 150 postcards to Rep. Baird, which we mailed on April 7.
- The Caretaker’s Cottage West Lafayette Local History Center (1496 N. Salisbury Street, West Lafayette) is celebrating its one year anniversary! It opened in March of 2024, with the aim of working with community partners to develop exhibits and displays that highlight local history topics. The Cottage is open seasonally from March to November, with a new rotation of exhibitions planned every year. Open on the weekends for easier access for the community, their staff of knowledgeable docents are on hand Friday-Sunday to share the exhibits, help with finding a local grave, or assist with Ancestry searches on-site at their Ancestry for Library search terminal. You can find more information on their website, including the history of the building and its renovations, and their list of current and future exhibits.
What is inspiring us
- The Greater Lafayette Legal Defense Fund is hosting a screening of the film “The Pendleton 2: They Stood Up” on Friday, April 18, at 6:30 pm at the Civic Theatre (313 N 5th Street, Lafayette). This documentary tells the story of John “Balagoon” Cole and Christopher “Naeem” Trotter, two political prisoners who led an uprising at the Indiana State Reformatory (now the Pendleton Correctional Facility) in 1985, and it sheds light on the well-known problems with the prison industrial complex in Indiana and the ongoing efforts to seek clemency and sentence modification for Cole and Trotter. The screening runtime is 1 hour, and a Q&A with individuals who helped create the documentary will be held immediately after. If you plan to attend, please RSVP to [email protected].
- Brain Lair Books in South Bend is hosting a conversation with Dr. Ibram X. Kendi on Saturday, May 17, at 1:30 pm at the South Bend Civic Theatre (403 N Main St, South Bend, IN 46601). Dr. Kendi will be discussing his new book, “Malcolm Lives!,” which brings a global icon to life in the first major biography for young people in more than thirty years. You can find more information about the event and purchase tickets here. Brain Lair Books is a community-centered place that uplifts marginalized voices, advocates for and connects their community, and provides a caring environment where everyone can be themselves. You can find more information about the store and their mission on their website.
Do you have an organization, an event, or a bit of good news that you’d like us to include in a future newsletter? Email [email protected]!
Past editions of our newsletter can be found on our website: lafayetteindivisible.com
As always, you can donate toward our efforts here or by donating cash at our next in-person gathering. Donations are used for expenses such as voter registration booth fees, supplies, and administrative costs. Thank you for your continued support!